boat advice?

[CAPTAINZERO8]

Myself and some friends have gotten pretty deeply into freediving after being introduced to the sport by David Laird of Wallins San Carlos. I would like to purchase a decent dive type boat in the 10-15k range. I know that is not a ot of money, but does anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking about a rigid inflatable. Any advice would be much appreciated. All of my diving so far is in Pacific Grove cuz' my mom lives there, but I live and work in Sunnyvale

[sdbr911]

Well nobody has responded yet, so I'll throw in two cents.

I'm no expert but $10-15k is plenty for a nice little dive boat (especially if you are freediving with less weight to carry compared to scuba.) Do some looking around to get an idea of what's out there. You are up in NorCal, there are lots of boats on Craigs list in your area.

I don't know much about rigid inflatables, so I can't comment.

Think about some basics to help you narrow it down. How many divers do you want to carry? Do you have a suitable vehicle to tow it with? Do you have a place to store it? Storage area may limit what size boat you get. You might have trouble finding a new boat in that price range unless it's pretty small. There are lots of used center consoles around that would work fine if the weather isn't too bad.

Check out thehulltruth.com for lots of boat info and reviews.

I picked up this one for $6,000 used and it's in great shape. Works perfect for 3 freedivers. It was setup for fishing so I had to change a few things, add a dive ladder, etc. So far, it has been really fun and wasn't too expensive.

[scrounger]

you can search boats.com them have a very good selection on there to give you ideas of what you might like

[Southern Cross]

You should be able to stretch your $10-$15K if you look at pangas. There are some pretty nice panga style boats out there that have lots of space and are light and trailerable. Doesn't take much power to push them.

Good Luck.

[CAPTAINZERO8]

Thanks for the advice, guys. SDBR911- what you have is pretty much what I'm looking for...it looks like you got a killer deal. Hopefully I'll have the same good fortune!

[Castor]

About 3 years ago I bought a 21' Chris Craft for $2000. Virtually everything was shot but the hull was in great shape. This was exactly what I wanted. In about 9 months I had the motor completely replaced and changed out everything. Fuel system, stearing system, electrical system, all new cushions, new bow rail, new steering wheel, bait tank, etc. EVERYTHING but the hull is new and I ended up with $10,500 in a super reliable boat. I have a list of everything that I did with the prices. I'll see if I can dig it out and send it to you. In my opinion it was a great way to go because you'll know your boat inside and out.

Good luck with whatever you get.

Rob

[Castor]

I posted that the engine was replaced. It was actually rebuilt.

[chuckle head]

try some boat shows too....they have great deals there

[fishfan]

I just picked up a 20 foot Avon Rigid Inflatable.....came with a brand new trailer with rollers. Yamaha 115 outboard....$8500. Just turned down an offer for $14k for it.
Keep an eye on ebay motors too....there are deals out there to be had just be patient and keep looking. Can't wait to get it in the water...I'll post a report on the RIB after it warms up here. I talked with a lot of people before I bought the RIB....which is what I was looking for. Good luck on your hunt.